Former Everton striker Wayne Rooney has played a big role in the club’s recent transfer window.
Everton secured the signing of Jack Grealish on a season-long loan deal in the summer, and Rooney was at the heart of the deal.
It is a transfer that is already looking like it is working out, with Grealish leading the way in the Premier League with four assists.
Before signing, Rooney spoke to Grealish about Everton and how it could be a good move for the 30-year-old to make.
The former Everton striker is currently working in the media following his stints across a number of clubs as manager.
One former Everton manager in Sam Allardyce has now shared his big regret when he had the pleasure of managing Rooney.
Sam Allardyce shares big Wayne Rooney regret at Everton
Rooney has recently met back up with Grealish, and the 39-year-old admitted he’s always amazed by how kind-hearted the Everton loanee is.
Having spent his career at the top, Rooney will have plenty of advice to pass on to Grealish, but Allardyce has now shared his big regret when it came to managing the England legend.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce admitted he wished he made Rooney his captain at Goodison Park.
“Wayne Rooney at Everton was a leader, and I regret not making him captain straight away,” said Allardyce.
“I should have just said to the club, This is Wayne, he loves the club, he’s loved it since he was a kid, so he’s going to be captain.”
Allardyce recently stuck up for Grealish after Simon Jordan suggested the forward may not be a success on Merseyside.
Clearly, Allardyce has some regrets from his time at Goodison Park, but it is good to see Rooney offering Grealish his guidance after joining the Blues.
Allardyce admits just how good Rooney was
In Rooney’s 20 appearances under Allardyce, the England legend only returned three goals and two assists.
This did come towards the backend of his career when he returned to Everton following his time at Manchester United.
But Allardyce waxed lyrical about just how good of a player Rooney was even at that stage in his career.
“Wayne is one of the best players this country has ever seen in goalscorers, but my problem with him was that the fact he was coming to an end, and he was back at the club he loved, which is Everton,” the 70-year-old added.
“Sometimes I was really worried about bringing him off when he was looking tired, but I thought he understood it quite well. For England, it was all about him not playing. With the press, I got a firsthand view of how much pressure he’d been under all his life, by being a world-class player.
“The hardest thing as a manager is telling somebody like him that you think they’re struggling to live up to that level of football, because you won’t accept it, and I didn’t. But you have to make that decision.”
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